Achievements, Publications, and Writing Challenges
The Yara-Ma-Yha-Who Says Happy Birthday: Poetry & Book Publication: July 1 Friday Round-Up
Hi everyone! Somehow, it's JULY already, and I'm back! How is everyone's summer going? I just had my 34th birthday, and tourist season is in full swing over here in Croatia. The difference this year from our 2021 summer here is that all businesses appear to be open,...
Where Is WHAT WE FIND IN THE DARK?: November 5th’s Feature Friday
Happy Friday, friends! How did everyone enjoy their Halloween season? October was an absolute whirlwind for me. My now-7-year-old daughter, Cadence, and now-3-year-old son, Grayson, both had their birthdays, which we celebrated on the day with a few friends and fun...
On the Hunt for Halloween & A Short Story Release: October 1st’s Feature Friday
Happy Saturday, friends! I know I'm late for Friday and for October 1st, but I'm so excited to reach out to you! How was your week? Are you doing anything special for the beginning of the Halloween season? I've got a big weekend ahead of me, including some pretty...
Read “The Duplex” Free Now!
Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope you're all having a wonderful week. As some of you know, I've been focusing primarily on my clients the last few years (copywriting, line-editing, resumes, publishing assistance, etc.), but in 2020, I decided it was time to dedicate...
My Review of Angela Voras-Hills’ LOUDER BIRDS is Now Live at Green Mountains Review!
Hi everyone! I'm happy to announce my latest review, Angela Voras-Hills' Louder Birds from Pleiades Press, 2020, is now live at Green Mountains Review! You can read it here! Elizabeth Powell at GMR recommended this book to me and was a true joy to work with. I greatly...
New Poem: A Seagull Makes A Lone Call, Off-Course (after Sylvia Plath)
A SEAGULL MAKES A LONE CALL, OFF-COURSE And across from me a bird roots in the gutter, looking for spare twigs. Its dark feathered body dip in and out of the track, its tail striking the air. I wonder insteadif it has made a nest up there when its body disappears....
New Poem: In The Morning, Where I Walk (after Sylvia Plath)
Where Sylvia Plath's "Blackberrying" and social distancing meet . . . IN THE MORNING, WHERE I WALK Out to the street where cars have been parked for days, I know little of what brings the birds out of their hiding, what has come of the neighbors who leave their trash...
A New Poem: Social Distancing & What’s Left Of It—
SOCIAL DISTANCE & WHAT'S LEFT--- I look out my windows, check social media, more often than I should, & wonder where the parked cars have gone, also too often, question if there is somewhere I could have gone, too. Out there, I know, someone is sleeping, more...
Literary Scene
An Inspiring Day in Kalamazoo: Poems
Happy Sunday, all! I had a wonderful, literary weekend, celebrating with Bill Olsen, New Issues Poetry & Prose, and fellow writer friends. Here are a few poems I loved from my weekend; enjoy!
Yours Truly is Going To Be a Judge!
A fun announcement for today, friends! I’ll be one of three of 2019’s INSPY Speculative Fiction judges!
Getting Back to the Poems!
Hi all! So sorry for the break in posting. Time to get back to National Poetry Month! Here’s a little about what’s been going on with me, and a new poem of mine. Enjoy!
Happy National Poetry Month! How Am I Celebrating?
Happy National Poetry Month!bGet ready—here’s how I’ll be celebrating this month!
There’s a New Series Coming! How Do I Submit?
Happy Sunday! I’m grateful to announce the re-launch of my Poem of the Day Series, in addition to my new arrivals, Favorite Fiction Friday and Saturday Spotlight. Read on to see how to submit!
In Honor of Linda Gregg: One Poem (For Now)
Today I heard of the passing of Linda Gregg, a poet I unfortunately did not know. To honor her, as I honor any poet who has died, I read her work for the first time. It’s heart-wrenching. This is my take on my first experience with Linda Gregg, and a poem of hers I hope will never let me go.
In Honor of Marni Ludwig: Five Poems
In honor of the excellent poet, Marni Ludwig, here are five poems: Four of hers and one of mine. All my love today to Marni, her family, and her friends.
My Reading with Write Night! Next Up: Dinosaurs.
Last night, I had the extremely great opportunity to perform as one of the five Selected Readers for Lit Literary Collective's Write Night in May, organized by Krista Cox and Ultreia, Inc. Thank you, to Krista and Lit Literary and everyone, for having me. I...
Newsletter
A Very Long Week, Poetry Games, & A Friday Night Round-Up!
Happy Friday, friends! Here’s a little about my week, a Poetry Game challenge, and a round-up of my publications from the week! Enjoy!
![“The Hunt for Red [Starbucks]” & A Friday Round-Up](https://mckenzielynntozan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/AE6DD674-023B-4876-950B-1EE42016F9CA.jpeg)
“The Hunt for Red [Starbucks]” & A Friday Round-Up
Join me in my search of all things Halloween and Pennywise at Starbucks! Plus, here’s my weekly round-up of publications ICYMI and would like to get caught up!
Reading and Poem of The Day
Poem of the Day: Justin Phillip Reed
Happy Tuesday, friends! Coming to you late, but here is today’s Poem of the Day: “What’s Left Behind After a Hawk Has Seized a Smaller Bird Midair” by Justin Phillip Reed. Enjoy!
Poem of the Day: Frank Stanford
Happy Tuesday, friends! Here is today’s Poem of the Day: “The Light the Dead See” by Frank Stanford. Enjoy!
Poem of the Day: Brigit Pegeen Kelly
Happy Tuesday, friends! After a bit of a break, here’s the new Poem of the Day: Brigit Pegeen Kelly’s “Doing Laundry on Sunday.” Enjoy!
Poem of the Day: Sylvia Plath
Happy Friday, everyone! For our Poem of the Day, here is another poem by Sylvia Plath, “Winter Landscape, with Rooks.” Enjoy!
Happy National Poetry Month! Poem of the Day: Angela Voras-Hills
Happy Wednesday, and Happy National Poetry Month! For today’s poem, we have Angela Voras-Hills’ “On My Way Home,” from her collection, LOUDER BIRDS. Enjoy!
Poem of the Day: Sylvia Plath
Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. To start our week, here is a poem by Sylvia Plath, “Blackberrying,” which seems particularly fitting right now. Enjoy!
Poems of the Day: Allan Peterson
Happy Friday, friends! To carry us into the weekend, here are several short poems by Allan Peterson, from his latest collection, THIS LUMINOUS. Enjoy!
Poem of the Day: Vievee Francis
Happy Thursday, friends! Here is today’s Poem of the Day: “Another Antipastoral” by Vievee Francis. Enjoy!
Reviews
“Black Light / Her Name in a Cup”: Scenes & Impressions: Reading David Dodd Lee’s Animalities
David Dodd Lee has been there with me since the beginning---not since the beginning of my reading and loving poetry, but of my writing poetry and taking that progress seriously. Of taking poetry seriously, and the idea that there was something to be taken from...
Her Heart of Hearts & The Art of Discovery: Reading Jackie Haze’s Borderless
When I think of highways, I think of other cars, the open road, corn fields. I think of how limitless, how borderless these highways can be, allowing us to go straight, turn left, or turn right, as we please. But there are also barricades: toll roads, No U-Turn...
‘This is Not a Pipe’: The Powers of Nature & Grief over Perception & Definition: Reading Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
I don’t know about you, but in my mind, perception and grief are united. This is not to say that one cannot exist without the other, but only that our perceptions vary based on our state of mind---especially when we are talking about grief. On an average,...
Dialogue of the Body, Dialogue of a Storm: Reading Sandra Marchetti’s Confluence
Sometimes I find myself thinking so much about what poetry is or what it can do that I forget to think about how it can make me feel. Perhaps that is the sign of a lesser poetry, a poetry with holes in it: one that goes through the motions, the mechanics, of...
“Look Where That Has Gotten Me”: The Potential Self-Awareness & Honesty of Poetry: Reading Tracey Knapp’s Mouth
Let me begin by playing a round of Two Truths and a Lie... We all know how this works, right? The speaker shares two truths about themselves, and a lie, but the lie must not be easily distinguished from the two truths, and the other players are supposed to...
The Rhythm of Reading & Hearing Poetry: Reading Three Beautiful Collections by Susan Lewis
Do you ever find yourself in a reading slump? Or too unreasonably busy to even consider finding a way to fit reading in? And when you finally do have the time and energy, do you find yourself searching for that writing style that just throws you back in, every...
The Division of History & Fiction: Reading Kristy Cambron’s A Sparrow in Terezin
In Kristy Cambron’s A Sparrow in Terezin, the second novel in the A Hidden Masterpiece Novel series, two central female characters, Sera James and Kája Makovsky, bridge the gap between a past genocide and a present-day criminal investigation. Kája previously...
“The Way Poetry Evokes Things / Only Potentially There”: Perception, Identity & Heritage: Reading Allan Peterson’s Precarious
In the quiet moments, when we stop to take a breath and think, we may realize that all of our thoughts, our questions, our hopes, are connected---that is to say, back to two main ideas: Where am I going? and Where have I been? Again, as if to say something...
Writing, Publishing, and Marketing Tips
FAQ: What is a Book Strategist?
Hi everyone! Very slowly, I’m building an FAQ page for my services, writing, and interests. One of the primary questions I get is, “What is a Book Strategist?” So we’re going to start there! Connect with me, though: What other questions do you have?
March 2019: My First Attempt at #PitMad
Here’s a confession-esque piece on my first attempt at #PitMad today, what I believe I learned, and what I plan to improve for next time. Enjoy! #Pitch #Novel #WIP #WriterstoAgents #PitMad #Twitter
Happy New Year! What’s the Word for 2019?
Happy New Year, friends! Here is my word for 2019, why I chose it, and what I hope to do with it. What’s your word for 2019?
Reading Stephen King & Writing Horror Shovels
Hi friends! Happy Thursday. I hope you had a really wonderful holiday mid-week and are finding yourselves back in the full swing of things. The last few days, since celebrating my birthday, my anniversary, and the 4th of July, I've been doing a lot of reading...
“All My Things Are Empty Now” & The Prompt That Wrote It
Hello, everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend and are enjoying your Monday. Starting this week, I'm going to do something a little different. I'm back to writing every day, with a mixture of free-writing and prompt-driven writing. I'm going to share a poem...
big poem, small poem / new poem sure / longer poem, brighter poem / birds birds birds
Hello all! It's been a while again, I know. I've been missing writing in the worse way but otherwise wrapped up in my new job, writing a new bio: McKenzie lives and writes in South Bend, where she works at Indiana University, etc. It's been a blast, but I've...
Hey!! A New Feature is Coming to My Blog Very, Very Soon!!
Yesterday evening, I wrote a sort of long-time-no-see post, followed by a post that very well may have opened a huge door for me. I shared how a poem from my earlier writing life had hugely intersected with a specific incident from my day yesterday, and I came...
First, She was a Poem: Cadence on the Swings
I had a bit of a moment today, and I really have to share. In the picture to your left is my beautiful, nine-and-a-half-month old daughter, Cadence (yes, like the title), and she had her first turn on a swing today---one of those little, infant-safe ones on a...